
'tfjn^ust ossS* 




THF OOOD " V\ 



THE <;ooi> MAN'S MEMORIAL. 



\ SKETCH 



T II K LIFE AND CHARACTER 



OF 



SAMUEL PITTS. 



BY JOSEPH P. THOMPSON, 

PASTOR OF THE BROADWAY TABKRNACLH CHURCH. 



NEW-TO KK : 



PRINTED UY B. BRADFORD, 

Ho. 11 John Street. 

18.",:,. 



.Tu77s- 



7 






TO THI 

"PITTS BIBLE CLASS," 

THIS BRIEF MEMORIAL 
OF THEIR BELOVED AND HONORED TEACHER, 

Prepared and Published at their request, 
IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. 



PREFACE. 



Wkkk I to sum up iii one statement the life and 
character of the subject of this brief Memoir, I would 
quote the comprehensive and emphatic language of the 
sacred historian, concerning Barnabas: — "He was a 

(jno'J man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith ; 
and much people was added to the Lord."* These few 
words unfold at one view his personal character, the 
sources of his power, and the results of Ids life. Like 
Barnabas, the subject of the following sketch was a "son 
of exhortation ; n ready, fervent, eloquent in pleading for 
Christ ; administering warning to the ungodly ; instruc- 
tion, hope and comfort to the penitent ; motive, appeal, 
animation, joy, to the believing; consolation to the sick 
and the dying. Like Barnabas, at the beginning of his 
Christian life, he brought all that he had and devoted it 
to the service of Christ. Like Barnabas, he hastened 
wherever the intelligence of a revival of religion invited 



* Acts, XI, 24. These words were the text of a discourse commemorative 
oT Mr. Pitts, preached in the Broadway Tabernacle, February 25th, 1965, 



6 PREFACE. 

him to labor; "and when he saw the grace of God he 
was glad," and helped forward the work by prayer and 
exhortation. Like Barnabas in receiving Saul, lie em- 
braced with generous confidence the inquirer and the 
convert, and proved to many a friend and a helper when 
others were suspicions and cold. Like Barnabas, he was 
designated by his brethren to offices of trust and respon- 
sibility, and fulfilled every appointment with clean hands 
and a pure heart And like Barnabas, wherever he went 
he received the willing testimony of the churches, as "a 
brother beloved, ready to lay down his life for the name 
of our Lord." 

For seven years he was intimately associated with the 
writer, in the spiritual care of the Broadway Tabernacle 
Church : virtually a co-pastor, though not an ordained 
minister of the Gospel. In this capacity he ever com- 
mended himself to my regard, by the warmest personal 
friendship, the sincerest devotion to the welfare of the 
church, and the most untiring zeal in the service of our 
Lord and Master. His manner of discharging the func- 
tions of this anomalous but useful office was in all respects 
unexceptionable ; his integrity was above suspicion ; his 
life was without reproach. 

I could wish that his useful and blessed life had come 
serenely to its close in the sphere to which he was so 



well adapted, and amid the Bcenesofhis most protracted 
and useful labors: that I might have witnessed the final 
triumph of a faith that bo often cheered and sustained 
me under the burdens and responsibilities of a peculiar 
poet: that the church, whose life he cherished as his 
own. might have ised with prayer and sympathy 

die chamber of his last . and have gathered around 

his bier; and that the feet of the young men whom he 
had led in the way of holiness, might have been at his 
door to carry him to his rest. 

But although debarred the privilege of ministering to 
him in his last days, and of profiting by his experiei 
of • of Christ, I rejoice in the opportunity to 

which the young men of his favorite Bible-class have 
called me, of commending to others the virtues of his 
life, and of putting upon record an example of Christian 
fidelity, which, like that of Harlan Page, may animate 
many in the blessed work of saving souls. The outward 
incidents of that life may be recounted in few words. 
These will serve as a brief introduction to the analysis of 
his character and his tabors as a Christian. 

vi -York, March, 1865. 



LIFE AM) CHARACTER, 



del Pitts was born in Richmond, 4 Ontario County, 
•NVu Fodc, August 2nd, 1802. Bis mother was remov- 
ed by death in his infancy; but the step-mother to whom 
his nurture was afterwards confided, made him to "know 
all the sweetness of a mother's love and the fidelity of a 
moth.-r'- devotion. No organic life could be closer than 
thf lit. i of spiritual affection with which she infolded her 
bob. To him she was ever the mother of his memory 
and his k>ve. In his later years he was wont to recall 
the impressions of her teaching- and example, as having 
given him those views of moral obligation and of depend- 
ence upon the grace of God, that were so happily com- 
bined and illustrated in his personal experience. 

One incident of his childhood he loved to recall.** 
When eleven yean old, he was sent to school in Litch- 



* For the rabstance of tUfl .effecting story I am indebted to Rev. H. G. Minn, 
of Tecuinseh, Michigan ; to whose friendly offices I am also under great 
obligation for other facts interwoven with this narrative. 



10 LIKE AND CHARACTER OF 

field South Farms, Conn.; which, forty years ago, was 
many days' journey from his native town. The night 
before he Bet out upon this journey, he went early to 

bed, with a schoolboy's anticipations of the morrow. At 
midnight he was aroused by the voice of prayer at his 
bedside; and on waking, he felt the warm pressure of 
his mother's hand on his forehead, while her tears were 
wetting his pillow. Her solicitude for the dear boy who 
was about to be withdrawn from her care, and to be ex- 
posed to untried scenes, drove sleep from her eyes, and 
brought her to his bedside to repeat to him once more 
the lessons of a religious faith, and to commend him to 
God in fervent prayer. And thus mingling counsels and 
prayers with her caresses and her tears, she remained at 
his bedside till the morning dawned. His mother had 
"lent him to the Lord ;" and through her he heard the 
voice of the Lord at midnight, calling him : — " Samuel ! 
Samuel ! " Even in his last sickness our friend would 
often recall that scene ; and, with choked utterance, would 
thank God for the influence of that mother's life. What 
power on earth can be compared with a mothers love, 
in molding the heart and the life of the man ! 

At Litchfield the child Samuel was placed under the 
immediate care of a worthy deacon of the church, who 
ministered before the Lord with all his house. He re- 



ftfUU PITTS. I 1 

ttained at Litchfield three yean. During that time he 
was hopefully converted to Christ, under the pfeaohing 
of the Rev. Mr. Nettleton, who was then at the Benith of 
Ua labors in Connecticut One who knew him then, 
informs me that he Showed thus early in his Christian 
lit'** the same seal for the conversion of others that mark- 
ed his later years. On his return to his early home, 
Mr. Pitta engaged as a clerk in a store in Livonia, where 
be continued for some years, leading an exemplary life, 
(hough not distinguished, as far as I can learn, for ac- 
tivity and zeal as a Christian. About the year 1825 he 
entered into hotel-service at Geneva, where his gentle- 
manly deportment and amiable character won the esteem 
of all visitors. In 1826 he became the proprietor of one 
of the principal hotels in Canandaigua. Meantime he 
had married into a family which, like his own, was one 
of the most respectable in Ontario county ; and with an 
amiable partner, a pleasant circle of kindred and friends, 
a good reputation, and an encouraging share of public 
patronage, he had every condition of temporal prosperity 
and happiness. But the fervor of his early religious 
experience had passed away; and while his outward 
life was blameless, and his native loveliness of disposition 
and sincerity of heart were unaffected by the temptations 
of his public occupation, yet he was hardly known in 



12 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

Canandaigua as one who entertained the boj fa Chris- 
tian, if indeed be still cherished that hope in secret 

But now occurred the moat marked event of his reli- 
gious experience ; what he was accustomed to term his 

conversion; what was indeed the beginning of tliat 
full consecration to God, which ever afterward charac- 
terized his life. Under the ministry of the Rev. A. D. 
Eddy, D.D., * and also in connection with the labors of 
Rev. Chas. G. Finney, the village of Canandaigua waf 
the scene of a general and powerful revival of religion. 
In this revival Mr. Pitts renewed his personal consecra- 
tion to Christ, with very marked evidences of the ge- 
nuineness of his conversion or recovery. " I seldom 
knew one," says his pastor, " whose exercises were so 
distinctly indicated as sincere and Scriptural. His reli- 
gious experience was so clear, so gentle. 
manifestly genuine, so honorable to the truth of Godj to 
the atonement of Christ, and to the office of the Holy 
Spirit, that I love to dwell upon it. All took the most 
lively interest in Mr. Pitts, and his conversion was the 
occasion of very general rejoicing. Immediately after 
his own conversion, he was intensely anxious for the 
conversion of his wife ; and the scenes we had in prayer 

* Now of Newark, N. J. 



BAMl i.i. )'ii L| 

fresh and grateful to me, after the lapse of 
rly thirty years, He soon found bis wife with him 

in spirit and in truth." 

During the continuance of the revival, Mr. Pitts 

t'vh a prayerfulnesa and activity in bringing 

■linen to Christ : nor did his seal flag vrhen the special 

of the revival subsided. Not long after these 

ate, the failure of his business in Canandaigua, from 

cause which I shall presently mention, led him to 

return to his native town, where lie spent some time 
in personal labors in revivals of religion, in the village 
of Richmond and its vicinity. 

By the advice of friends he now went to Geneva, 
to pursue a course of study for the ministry of the Gos- 
pel : but the state of his health soon obliged him to 
abandon his purpose, and to seek again some active 
employment. Accordingly he removed to Xew-York, 
about the year 1835, and procured the office of steward 
upon one of the steamboats running between this city 
and Amboy. In this capacity he remained for some 
year- ; maintaining a church connection in this city, 
and giving t.j the in1 religion here such frag- 

ments of time as he could command. His former inte- 
rest in Mir. Finney attracted him to the Tabernaele 
soon after it was opened, and he united with the original 



14 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

church in that building. He retained that connection 
until the church dissolved in 1840 ; when he united 
with the sixty-seven who formed the present Broad- 
way Tabernacle Church, by whom lie was unani- 
mously chosen to the office of deacon. The late Mr. 
David Hale, with his usual sagacity and breadth of plan, 
perceiving in Mr. Pitts qualities that might be used to 
great advantage in building up such an enterprise, by 
the offer of a moderate salary and the prospect of a wide 
field of usefulness, induced him to accept a stewardship 
in the household of faith. Here, using the office of a 
deacon well, " he purchased to himself a good degree, 
and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." 
In this important post, Mr. Pitts rendered to the pastor 
and to the church essential and invaluable services. Be- 
sides superintending the secular concerns of the congre- 
gation, Mr. Pitts devoted a portion of each day to visiting 
among the people ; advised the pastor of cases requiring 
special attention ; provided an extra supply when needed 
for the pulpit ; relieved the pastoral office of many of its 
burdens ; maintained a constant familiarity with the 
members of the church, and promoted harmony and 
good-will ; sought out strangers, and by various offices 
of kindness attracted them permanently to the church ; 
ministered to the wants of the sick and the poor of the 



-ami si. pirn. II 

Book; labored without oeaung to win soula to Christ; 
and especially watched over the welfare of young men, 
fior whom he established a Bible-class, which still con- 
tinues under his nam.'. Mr. Pitts remained in ilii^ j 
until the Bpring of 1852, when the failure of his health, 
and a general change in the financial arrangements of 
the Tabernacle, led him to seek a now home in the W 
On the occasion of his Leaving, the ehurch cordially 
idopted tin 1 following resolution : 

That the many offices of Christian kindness and love 
performed by our brother Samuel Pitts, during his long connec- 
tion with this church — his cordial assistance to, and co-operation 
with the Pastor, in visiting from house to house — his ready sym- 
pathy with the sick and afflicted of every name — his eminent 
BUCCese in laboring for the cause of Christ, and the conversion 
of souls — his untiring devotion to the spiritual welfare of young 
men — and especially his labors in the Bible Class — merit the 
heart-felt gratitude and never-ceasing remembrance of the mem- 
bers of the church. 

At the same time the members of the Bible Class, 
who could hardly be reconciled to the loss of a teacher 
who was to many of them a spiritual father, made up 
for him a handsome testimonial, in a purse containing 
$350 in gold. 

Mr. Pitts removed to Tecumseh, Michigan ; where, 
notwithstanding his impaired health, he devoted him- 



16 Lin \M) CHARACTER OF 

self with unabated zeal to the service of his Master. 
The Presbyterian church in that place, with which he 

united, elected him to the office of elder; but while he 
served the church with all fidelity, he did not desire 
official prominence, and retained till the last a decided 
preference for the principle of the equality of the broth- 
erhood, in which he had been so well schooled in the 
Tabernacle Church. 

The comfortable degree of health to which lie was 
restored by his removal to the West, encouraged in his 
friends the hope of a permanent benefit from the change. 
But disease had fastened itself upon his system too deeply 
for any such hope to be realized. Last fall he suffered long 
and severely from a renewed attack of the disease which 
had already deprived him of the use of one lung ; and 
just as he seemed to be recovering from this, other symp- 
toms appeared which baffled medical skill, and on the eve- 
ning of the 20th of January, he peacefully sank to his rest. 

His funeral was attended at Tecumseh on the 2 2d of 
January, by a large concourse of friends and citizens; 
and an appropriate discourse was preached by Rev. 
H. G. Blinn, from the words, Blessed are the dead which 
die in the Lord, from henceforth ; yea, saith the spirit, 
that they may rest from their labors ; and their works 
do follow them. 



LMUBL imi i 17 

Mod emphatically bis work- do follow liim. The 
tVuits of his labors ai\- not all garnered Eis perooaal 
influence tsnol yet dead. Hi^ eerj presence lives in 
the nltnn mnm, where his bee was bo familiar, as, radiant 
with joy or tearful with emotion, he urged and entreated 
the young to come to Christ A long train of hallowed 
deeds is thronging after him to the world of glory, or 
lingering upon earth to consummate his latest prayers. 
a few of the congregation worshiping at the Taber- 
nacle, if called upon to testify to the immediate influence 
in their conversion, would rise up and call him blessed, 
lie rests from his labors ; he is blessed from henceforth ; 
but we too are blessed even in his loss, in that his works 
do follow him : for he ivas a good man, and full of the 
Holy Ghost and of faith ; and much people was added 
to the Lord. 

In attempting an analysis of the character of Mr. 
Pitts, the trait that comes most prominently into re- 
membrance is, 

I. His strength of religious principle. Sternness had 
no part in his natural constitution. On the contrary, he 
was sensitive and emotive even to a fault. His tempera- 
ment was of that gentle, plastic kind, which a subtle 
emissary of evil, a strong-willed, persevering opponent, 
or an enticing and exciting pleader, might hope soonest 



18 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

to overcome. l>ut deep under those fountains of emo- 
tion, that gushed Avitli every stroke of pleasure or of 
pain, was the living rock of principle, that no tempters 
wand could move, that no enemy's staff could pierce. 
He whom for any good purpose you could sway like a 
child, whom for any kindly office you could use as a 
brother, and whose tears were like the tears of woman's 
sympathy, had a soul of iron where principle and duty 
were involved. Rooted and grounded in the faith, he 
needed but to know the right to do it, at any personal 
hazard or loss. 

Of his high-toned principle and unflinching integrity, 
there are three prominent instances in his life, that in 
this degenerate, time-serving generation, are worthy to 
be written in letters of gold. When at Canandaigua, 
some thirty years ago, Mr. Pitts openly consecrated 
himself to the service of Christ, the cause of Temperance 
was in its infancy. Few went so far as to advocate total 
abstinence, and fewer still imagined that any effectual 
restraint could be put upon the sale of intoxicating 
drinks. Mr. Pitts was always strictly temperate in his 
habits, but as the keeper of a hotel, which was also a 
stage-house upon an important route, he was accustomed 
to sell liquors at his bar, and found this the most profit- 
able part of his business. But he became convinced 



mi i;i. I'M i 19 

ili;ii this bar-traffic in intoxicating drinks was morallj 
wrong, lli^ enlightened conscience ^;iw the gross in- 
consistency and wickedness of thus helping <>n the 
kingdom of Satan, while he was praying for the king- 
dom of Christ He felt thai fora professed Christian 
(«> contribute to promote drunkenness in (In- community, 

! a scandal upon the cause of Christ too grievous t<> 
be allowed ; and he promptly resolved to give up his 
bar. s.> conscientious was lie that he would not sell 
tin- -lock of liquors lie had on hand, hut emptied them 
openly into the street, He made a clean conscience in 
the matter, and washed his hands of that iniquity. He 

Wished the first temperance hotel in western New- 
York. This was looked upon by his friends at the time 
a- little short of madness; and it resulted, as was pre- 
dicted, in the failure of his hotel, and the loss of the 
little property he had accumulated. Such was his early 
sacrifice to principle. Thirty years ago the sacrifice was 
far greater than it would be now. Then this branch of 
business was more important to a village hotel, than in 
these days of rail-road travel and moderate drinking; 
and the general sentiment of the community, instead of 
demanding such a measure, met it with opposition, with 
coldness, or with ridicule. Rum-selling was not then 
considered disreputable even in a professed Christian. 



20 III I! AM) CHARACTER OF 

Mr. Pitts judged otherwise. In so doing lie lost his 
property and his business, but he maintained a con- 
science void of offence towards God and man. 

The second act of high-toned principle to which I 
icier, is connected with that very failure in business. 
He made an honorable settlement with his creditors, 
surrendering to them his entire property, which however 
was not sufficient to meet their claims. But though 
legally and, by the assent of his creditors, honorably 
discharged from obligations which misfortune disquali- 
fied him to cancel, he retained in his own conscience a 
sense of moral obligation, a principle of right, which was 
never satisfied until, by hard labor and prudent saving, 
he had discharged every dollar of the original indebted- 
ness. His first earnings went for that purpose ; and he 
lived scantily for years, until he had paid to the creditors 
with whom he had compromised the full amount of 
their claims. 

In a funeral discourse upon Mr. David Hale, I had 
occasion to speak of a transaction precisely similar. 
Though honorably released from his old liabilities in 
Boston, no sooner was he prospered in this city than he 
paid every dollar, with interest, upon his compromised 
debts. In these days of abounding fraud, when so many 
enrich themselves by failure, and take advantage of every 



iamuvl pm 21 

shift and legal quibble to protect themselves against 

their creditors, I am proud to mention tli.it the two 

miiH'iit members of the Tabernacle church, non 

I, have left in this respecl an example of the 

highest Christian integrity. 1 commend that example 

.'1 men of business : and especially to young men, as 8 
tar better guide than the common maxims and practice 
of the business world. 

The third prominent instance of a supreme regard for 
principle in Mr. Pitts, which I think worthy of mention, 
is tins. When he filled the office of steward on one of 
the steamboats in our harbor, it was resolved to run the 
: od the Sabbath, and he was required to be at his 
This he absolutely refused, and offered to resign 
his situation rather than violate his conscience by Sab- 
bath-day labor. His efficiency in that department, 
however, and his general affability, had made him so 
■ntial to the int-e rests of the proprietor, that he excused 
Mr. Pitts from making the trip on the Lord's day, for 
ilit- sake of retaining him in his service. If I am rightly 
informed, he was eventually displaced upon that ground. 
But lie held the beginning of his confidence steadfast bo 
the end. 

These instances show us how completely the life of 
this true child of God was regulated by principle. His 



22 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

personal interests were always made subordinate to his 

religious obligations and his convictions of right. He 
made no compromise with conscience. He attempted 
no casuistry upon moral questions, with a view to saving 
his pecuniary interests or his present convenience, by 
some adroit evasion of the demands of duty. He al* 
looked duty fully in the face. He was quick to discern 
the right, and prompt and steadfast to obey it. It cost 
him much to abandon his bar and to cast away his 
liquors ; to pay old compromised debts ; and to refuse 
to violate the Sabbath. But whatever outward loss he 
sustained, the peace of God kept his heart and mind 
secure in Jesus Christ our Lord. 

II. Mr. Pitts was remarkable for the intenseness of 
his consecration to Christ, and for the uniformity which 
this gave to his religious life and experiences. If ever a 
Christian complied with the injunction of the apostle, 
" I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of 
God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, 
acceptable to God," he made such a consecration. He 
could say with Paul, " the love of Christ constraineth 
me ;" " none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth 
to himself. For whether we live, we live to the Lord ; 
and whether we die, we die to the Lord ; whether we 
live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." " At his con- 



LMUKL I'ITT8. 89 

ronton," Bays his then pastor, u he took a irerj decided 
and open stand, and assumed a verj prominent position 
as a ]>i«>us man." To this he adds the following em- 
phatic testimony, M I never knew a more upright, pure, 
ami conscientious man, or one bo Gaultlesa in his life as a 
Christian. In all my long acquaintance with him, I 
con 1 .. 1 ii«<t specifyin him the slighted moral delinquency, 
or the least breach of gentlemanly decorum or ofciu 
co n versation. In all my ministry I place Mr. Pitts as 
the most unexceptionable Christian, the most consistent 
and mo>t useful Christian that I have ever had the privi- 
lege to number among those that I have been permitted 
to receive into the church. And if Dr. Hopkins could 
say of the first conversion under his ministry — after 
some years — ' abundant reward for all my labors,' T can 
say, if I was instrumental at all in the conversion of Mr. 
Pitts, I bless God for such an honor, and count it an 
abundant reward for all my labors." 

That this is not the exaggerated language of partiality, 
but a just tribute to the grace of God in the character 
of our departed brother, all must agree who had oppor- 
tunity to mark that character through a series of years. 
That entire consecration which marked his entrance 
upon the Christian lite, when he abandoned an immoral 
traffic and refused to touch its gains, when he braved 



24 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

ridicule, opposition, and pecuniary loss, simply to do 
right and honor his Savior, that whole-souled devoted- 
oeflfi to Christ which made him willing to forego a lucra- 
tive situation rather than seem to dishonor the Lord's 
day, was but the habitual tenor of his life from the day 
that he renounced the world till he entered upon his 
rest. His time, his means, his services, all were Christ's. 
When in the office of steward on a large steamboat, 
obliged to be early at his post, and having the fatigue of 
two trips daily, he was always present at the evening 
prayer-meeting, full of fervor and of love ; always punc- 
tual at the Sabbath School, and ready for every good 
work. The opportunity of devoting his whole time 
directly to the cause of Christ, which was given him by 
his office of steward in the Tabernacle Church, was to 
him an unspeakable privilege and a constant rejoicing. 
He loved his Master's work, and was wholly given to 
that work. Though he was deeply emotional in his 
religious experiences, this entire consecration to Christ, 
and the fixedness of principle already noted, gave to his 
Christian character an elevated uniformity seldom attain- 
ed. He needed no special preparation for a revival, but 
was full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. 

III. Mr. Pitts was eminently a man of prayer. No 
one could hear him pray without feeling that he was 



! 



■ !, and bad dii 
inn. ing man 

□ling ;i certain minister, to whoi 
-i he had been very much oppos odd 

r his preaching, but a began to | I 

j in to be I ; and if he had continued to pi 

much longer, I should not have 

Many a young man will bear tli 

i the prayers of deacon Pitts in the Bible-class or 

in his own room, where he was accustomed to invite the 

members of his class to meet him one by one. There 

a in these prayers of his a fervor, a sincerity, a depth 

spiritual emotion, that swayed every heart, and seemed 

tli-* Spirit of God into immediate contact with 

all who heard them. Yet with all their sympathetic 

influence upon other minds, they were always proper 

prayers ; not exhortations, declamations, or- appeals to 

men, nor communications addressed to God as if to ad- 

the Supreme Being of wdiat was transpiring in this 

—but petitions, supplications, with confession, 

ration and thanksgiving. Hence they took hold at 

upon the soul and upon God. 

He was much given to secret prayer. One who had 

the best opportunity of knowing his habits says : " His 

great earnestne-s for the salvation of the impenitent often 

3 



26 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

led him to leave his bed and spend a portion of the night 
in prayer. He allowed no circumstance to interfere with 
his closet devotions. He also found unusual enjoyment 
in family worship, to which he ever attached great im- 
portance." 

A gentleman of this city, formerly connected with the 
Tabernacle Church, in whose family Mr. Pitts was an 
inmate for years, says of him, that in all his intercourse 
with Christians he has never met one so spiritually 
minded, or so devoted to prayer as he ; that he would 
often spend a great part of the night in supplication for 
his beloved church and for the young men's Bible-class, 
in which his soul was absorbed. He always spent the 
first day of the year in private devotion in his own cham- 
ber, instead of following the usual empty round of New- 
Year's calls. 

Mr. Pitts prayed "always, Avithout ceasing." I re- 
member to have heard him say, that on returning in the 
night boat from New T Haven, after having presented to 
me the call of the Tabernacle Church, he laid awake all 
night in his berth, pleading with God that I might be 
led to a right decision. And when on a second visit he 
received an unfavorable answer, he again converted his 
steamboat berth into a Bethel, where he wrestled till 
day-break on behalf of his dear Tabernacle. * He was 

* See Appendix. 



- v mi i i prn 

lor years to spend an hour every morning 

in the room adjoining my study in the Tabernacle, in 

for God's ipiril to attend him through the day; 

and often when be oame oul of thai room and entered 

study, I have Been, in traces of tears and in his whole 
demeanor, ho* earnestly he had been pleading before 

L That prayer-chamber is a hallowed spot Such 
no u]) from it as I doubt not have 
prevailed with God. 1 have felt its quickening influence 
in the study and in the pulpit: and doubtless the Great 
Pay will make it manifest that many a blessing that 
cam.' down upon the Tabernacle Church was in answer 
to petitions uttered in that very room. There too he was 

iistomed on Saturday evenings to meet such members 
of the Bible-class as could assemble for prayer. Those 
who enjoyed the privilege of that Saturday evening 
meeting will never forget the prayers of deacon Pitts ; 
when, as one expresses it, ' he would for awhile utter 

; monts and petitions in which all could join, and 
then, unconsciously to himself, would seem to rise and 
Boar beyond all the experience of those around him ; to 
forget their presence ; to talk with Christ upon the mount 
of transfiguration, and, like Paul, to be caught up into 
the third heavens and to behold a glory that lie could 
not describe/ He prayed much for specific objects ; for 



28 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

particular young men in his class ; for the sermons of 
the Sabbath ; for any who were serious or inquiring ; 
concentrating his feelings and desires upon some one 
thing whenever he approached the throne of grace. 
Rev. C. G. Finney, who had heard his prayers in the 
revival at Canandaigua, once held him up in this city as 
the pattern of a praying Christian, not knowing that 
Mr. Pitts was in the house among his hearers. 

In his sickness, . both here and in Michigan, he was 
accustomed to ascertain from his minister upon Saturday 
the texts for the morrow's sermons, and the hymns and 
Scriptures to be read ; and then at the hour of service he 
would concentrate his thoughts upon these, and would 
pour out his soul in prayer for a blessing on the congrega- 
tion. He delighted in the house of the Lord ; in the com- 
munion of the saints ; in the prayer meeting ; in all the 
ways of God, The secret of all was that he delighted 
in prayer, and was "full of the Holy Ghost and of 
faith;' 

IV. Equally eminent was he in zeal and in labors for 
the conversion of sinners. Immediately upon his own 
conversion, Mr. Pitts manifested an intense desire for the 
conversion of others, especially of his own kindred. He 
was forward in every good work. He did much good 
in Canandaigua while he remained in that place ; and 



Ml II I'll I 2f 

ith pecuniar] i himself 

muoh the more earnest!] to the work of the Lord, 

g in revivals in Richmond and in Livonia, with 

eptableness and sue* ess. When employed upon 

the Ambo] boat, he made it a daily duly to distribute 

and tracts among the passengers and 

hands; he improved opportunity for religions 

fition ; and by bis Christian deportment, liis 

obliging disposition, bis ready counsel, and his many 

rindness, he gained the esteem of all with whom 

; . ll« i was always intent upon doing 

Bis for U lay in bis mode of personal address to the 

impenitent I have spoken of him as an exhorter. But 

ixhortations were seldom public. He was no speech- 

ll«' never came to the prayer-meeting to deliver 
il exhortation, lie had quite a distrust of his own 
ttcity for speaking in public, and rather shrank from 
ortation in a mixed assembly. Yet was he daily an 
to house, from street to street, by 
er ready with a word fitly spoken, to 
imend his Master and a soul. This personal 

exhortation was his life, and was a grand element of his 
Hi- favorite field was the little conference- 
rand the Young Men's Bible-class. Thai cl 



30 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

he bad founded at the very beginning of the Tabernacle 
Church, and he watched over it with unceasing fidelity 
while he remained in the city. He built up the class 
and sustained it in numbers and in interest, by unremit- 
ting personal effort. Often it numbered upwards of fifty 
in regular attendance ; and it proved a nursery of the 
church, from which souls converted and renewed were 
continually introduced to its fellowship and to various 
spheres of Christian activity. I doubt whether, in the 
same period of time, any single institution in the city of 
New- York has accomplished so much good for young 
men. 

Mr. Pitts continually recruited his class by extending 
his personal acquaintance among the young men of the 
city, and he labored habitually for the conversion of 
every member of the class not already in Christ. 

One great secret of his success in the class, as indeed 
in all his labors with the impenitent, was his gentle- 
manly address, and his tact in approaching persons on 
the subject of religion. Mr. Pitts was a Christian gentle- 
man. There was nothing rude or abrupt in his manner ; 
no sanctimonious solemnity in his expression ; nothing 
sour or repulsive, as if religion were a hard service, in 
speaking of which he was doing task-work to earn his 
own way to heaven. He was lively, pleasant, affable,, 



8 1 
irhi], . . i imestj and thoroughly 

, you tli.it be was a good man and ;i happy 

Mian. 

I would in>i<t much upon the graces of gentl< 
.md courtesy bo prominent in him, as contributing to 

f Christians in their labors with the impeni- 
Mr. Pitts was Dot born to these graces; he did 
acquire hii ease of manner in what is called hi 
and fashionable Bociety. He Bometun 
humble though always respectable splieres. He had no 
station. But with an innate sense of propriety and 
it kindness of heart, ho cultivated gentleness and 
means of usefulness. And hence, he was 
: in any society and by all classes. 

II had also good tact or judgment as to the time, 
[dace and manner of introducing a personal religious 
conversation ; and knew how first to gain the confidence 
of a stranger, and then to lead him to Christ. Two or 
three examples will best recall this trait of his character. 

When in passing the contribution box, or in showing 

ts in the house, Mr. Pitts noticed the 

or three times in attendance at the 

Tal he would invariably contrive to meet them 

the door, to exchange a few pleasant words upon the 

preaching or some common topic, and thus wduld ingra- 



32 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

tiate himself into their acquaintance, learn their place of 
lence, and prove himself a spiritual friend. In this 
way he helped to build up the Tabernacle Church, and 
brought to it some of its most valuable members and 
families. " No one can ever know," says a now promi- 
nent member of that church, " how faithfully, kindly and 
perseveringly, deacon Pitts labored with me. M 

If he noticed among the young men in the gallery an 
anxious, earnest countenance, or a tearful eye, he would 
hasten at the close of the service to meet the individual 
thus interested at the door, and by engaging conversa- 
tion would draw him into the Bible-class, and thus, step 
by step, lead him to Christ. He watched for souls as 
one who must give account ; and he always did good as 
he had opportunity. 

An active member of the Bible-class and of the church 
informs me, that he had not been in the city three 
weeks, before Mr. Pitts, then an entire stranger, called 
at his place of business and gave him a polite invitation 
to attend the Bible-class. Though at the time impeni- 
tent, the young man accepted the invitation, partly from 
curiositv, partly through courtesy. After a brief attend- 
ance he fell off; when, in came the good deacon at the 
store, ' fearing that he had been sick or had changed his 
residence: His calls were always well-timed and well 



mi ii. in r& 

mai ling busi 

mark. Bj • young man was won perma- 

. the class; then drawn to the Saturday ereni 
ing; thru persuaded to meet Mr. Pitts for 
at his own room; where the good man 
loin of ( Ihrist, with an earnest- 
aist U<- followed that prs 
with a consecration <'t'hi< heart to the Savior. 

young man, once a member of the class, now 

an . I liberal Christian, the superintendent of a 

B bath school in another place, I will leave to tell his 

:i words. 

time I first bee [uainted with Mr. 

- laboring under excitement from -nong 

drink. I had been struggling hard to support a sick 

ten who looked to me for assistance. I was 

in receipt <»t*a -mail salary, in addition to which I occu- 

inings in selling small articles to the retail 

stores. I had met with indifferent success, and my 

ivily upon me. I at last resorted to the 

«mi]. in Older partially to drown my troubles, and it \ 

on such ;;ii that for the first time I met Mr. 

by the arm and asked me a few 

. where 1 lived, 4c; then took 

I, hired a room, and insisted on my taking 



AM) CHARACTER OF 

some rest : after which he advised me to go home, and 

promised ho would call and see me. I did so reluctantly ; 
but having promised to meet him, and having a pride in 

keeping my word, I met him at my house at the ap- 
pointed time. I had then recovered myself sufficiently 

to converse with him freely as to my position and diffi- 
culties. He urged upon me the necessity of rising 
above my troubles, and, above all, to endeavor to look 
to God for aid and comfort. His efforts with me were 
not merely confined to Avords, but his purse was brought 
forward to assist. I doubted at first that any one could 
be so disinterested as to do for me all he professed. But 
as our intimacy increased, I found him all and more 
than I could expect from any of my most intimate 
friends. 

" Having succeeded in securing my abandonment of 
the cup, his next effort w r as to turn my thoughts to the 
necessity of seeking my Savior. My confidence in him 
increased with every succeeding interview. I permitted 
him to lead me whither he would ; and, thanks be to 
God, he did lead me into that life which I trust never to 
forsake. And as the reward to me of this change, 
brought about by his instrumentality, my temporal 
affairs advanced with my spiritual. I was enabled to 
do far more under the change, and my salary was ad- 



8AMUEJ . : I 

i thai I abled to 

I he had loa 1 me. It ended not here. I c 

tinned to prosper; engaged in business on my own 

ounl ; am now, I trust, a bumble servitor in a neigh- 
boring church ; am enabled todo something respectable 
tor the cause of Christ and the amelioration of the con- 
dition of my fellows. From the first to the last of my 

[uaintance with him, 1 have ever found him the si 
warm friend, and always ready to talk of the love of 
Christ His ideas of Christian duty and labor were 
that we should make direct personal effort In whose- 
soever salvation we were interested, we should not only 
seri< je upon them the necessity of seeking the 

Savior, hut should also make them subjects of earnest 
prayer. This was, together with a consistent walk and 
conversation, the secret of his great success with young 
men/' 

V. Besides this zeal for the conversion of sinners im- 
mediately around him, Mr. Pitts cherished an equal 

W towards the general interests of the Redeemer's 
kingdom. He did not, like some good men, make a 
hobby of revivals, of city missions, of tract distribution, 
of this or that single branch of effort — not even of his 
favorite Bible-class — and in his zeal for that, depreciate 
or ignore all other modes of doing good ; but wherever 



oO ;> CHARACTER OF 

lie heard of the grace of God he was glad. He rejoiced 

in all phases of the work of Christ ; in personal home- 
error ts ; in Bible-class instruction; in church visitation; 
in the stated means of grace; in revivals of religion ; in 
tract and Bible distribution; in home n and 

foreign missions ; in charities to the poor ; in the relief 
of the oppressed ; in whatever tended to promote the 
freedom, the enlightenment, the evangelization, the sal- 
vation of the world. He was a large-hearted Christian. 
To him no genuine appeal for the cause of Christ was 
ever addressed in vain ; for he was liberal, not only 
according to his means, but even beyond his means, to 
help forward that which was good. He delighted in 
the intelligence the journals brought him of the progress 
of Christ's kingdom. During his long confinement in 
this city, before removing to the West, he would pore 
over the religious newspapers, and gather up item by 
item, as a theme for thanksgiving or a subject for prayer. 
He always had a budget to talk oyer when I went to see 
him. Thy kingdom come, was the daily bread of his 
meditation and his prayer ; and his soul would melt in 
tears or exhale in rapture as that kingdom seemed to be 
retarded or advanced. For him to live was Christ. 

VI. The grace of humility was ever apparent in the 
walk and conversation of this dear child of God. He 



Mti.i. pent 
had none of thai taU- humility, thai affected self-depre- 

*-iati<>n. Of tli.it real hut morbid distrust and timidity 

en mistaken tor the humility of the Gospel, which 
would lead him t<> doubt his personal interest in Christ, 

or to falter in his assurance ol' his final salvation. Least 

of all was his the sluggishness, or bashfulness, or indiffer- 
ence, that would shrink from duty and responsibility 
under cover o( humility. He never felt too humble to 
lead in prayer, or to converse upon religion. But he 
ever manifested that deep consciousness of personal 
unworthiness, that modest estimate of his own abilities 
and services, that spontaneous readiness to give all the 
glory to God and his grace, that mark the truly humble 
mind. It was in perfect keeping with this spirit of 
humility that he should leave no diary of his religious 
experiences. There is no record to be found of his 
spiritual frames, his resolutions, his prayers, and his 
omissions or his attainments in the Christian life. 

It has been customary to exhort young Christians to 
keep a diary, as an expedient almost indispensable to 
their spiritual life; and the diaries of good men and 
women set forth by our religious book societies — often 
but the records of morbid feeling and of physical or 
mental disease — are sometimes held up as the invariable 
models of a genuine Christian experience. Such jour- 
4 



38 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

rials have their uses; but when kept as a part of the 
machinery of religious life, and with a view to con- 
formity to a favorite model, they are apt to have the 
savor of spiritual pride. Their elaborate entries in a set, 
not to say a cant phraseology, squint decidedly toward 
publication. It is difficult for one who has any reason 
to suppose that he will be had in remembrance after 
death, so to lose his consciousness of self and his mind- 
fulness of the world, as to make the diary of his feel- 
ings a transaction strictly between his own soul and 
God. The habit of such record by the generality of 
Christians, is of questionable benefit. There is danger 
that it will turn those soul-experiences which should 
ever be spontaneous and free, into a mechanical routine 
or a subject for spiritual dissection. The piety of 
deacon Pitts was an unwritten piety. Yet he himself 
was a living epistle, known and read of all men. 

Two striking instances of his humility are fresh in my 
remembrance. He was often asked to estimate the 
number of persons whom he had instrumentally brought 
to Christ. But he always declined to make such esti- 
mate ; saying that he would never allow himself in an 
act that might so easily foster pride. Others have com- 
puted the number of persons converted through deacon 
Pitts at about two hundred. 



!i I.I. P] I I-. 

When be was about leaving the city, in feeble health, 

I begged him to furnish me with some memoranda 
hie tile for future use. Be read mj meaning; and after 
te hesitation thanked me, with tears, saying he could 
not bring himself to write out, even for my eye, what 
had passed between his own soul and God. 

VII. It only remains for me to speak of this departed 
brother's faith and hope* These graces he had ever in 
lively exercise, He not only believed in Christ, but he 
believed Christ. He had faith not only in an atone- 
ment but in a Savior ; his 2~> er mortal Savior ; his living-. 
present friend. This faith was manifest, as we have 
!. to all who heard him pray or converse upon reli- 
is subjects. This faith enabled him to bring the 
Savior near to others ; especially when in the chamber 
of sickness he administered consolation, and in the 
meeting for inquiry he gave saving counsel. 

His personal hope in Christ was always clear. His 
was an unclouded prospect for the future ; the full 
a— u ranee of hope. His was the strong consolation of 
the Gospel ; his hope an anchor sure and steadfast, 
entering into that within the veil. This hope was not 
based upon any self-confidence. It rested solely upon 
Christ, and upon those great doctrines of Redemption 
which all true believers substantially profess, and which 



40 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

he so profoundly cherished. It was a hope of salvation 
through the redeeming blood of Christ, the sanctifying 
virtue of the Spirit, and the gracious promise of the 
Father. But it was a good hope, through grace ; and 
being well-founded, it never wavered in the hour of his 
extremity. During his illness of many months in this 
city, I found him always bright with hope, and calm 
and cheerful in the expectation of death which then 
seemed near at hand. His sick chamber was the gate 
of heaven ; and as I passed almost daily from the sick 
chamber in my own house to his, I seemed to walk the 
streets of the celestial city and to hold converse with its 
shining ones. Blessed to the pastor are such illustra- 
tions of the grace of the Gospel, and such communings 
with those who linger at the gate of heaven. 

During his later sickness, it is the testimony of one 
who was with him constantly, that his communion with 
God was uninterrupted ; his experience from day to day 
clear and bright ; his confidence at all times unshaken. 
Though he had much to live for in the world and 
longed exceedingly for the full activity of his powers in 
his new sphere, yet he had so familiarized his mind with 
death and with the glory beyond, that he anticipated 
with great delight the coming of the last messenger. 
His new home in the countrv had manv attractions. 



SAMl EL I'll 1 1 

II.' wm in a position of independence, where be oould 

gratify without restraint his love of hospitality, and 

could promote the happiness of others. Bui all this 

he relinquished without one wish that it should be 
otherwise. He was very cheerful during his sickness, 
and would often indulge his native playfulness. Thou 
accustomed to great activity, he was never known to 
complain during the long trial of debility and suffering 
to which he was subjected. 

I have alluded to a disease of the lungs which pros- 
trated him in this city three years ago, but from which 
he had partially recovered. "About eight months since 
he Buffered from an acute attack of the same disease ; 
from which time he was confined to his house except 
occasionally in very pleasant weather, when he was able 
to take a short ride. During the most of that time he 
suffered more or less pain ; and it was with the greatest 
difficulty at times that he could breathe. Yet his appetite 
remained, and he was able to walk about the house till 
the day of his death. 

" He exhibited the most patient resignation, and 
deliberately made all his preparations for leaving his 
wife and btisiness as if he were only going a short jour- 
ney. During his sickness his love for the church and 
his deep interest for the advancement of true piety were 



i'2 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

strikingly manifested. Ilis constant and almost hi> 

very last prayer was that God would pour out his Spirit 
on the churches and revive his work." * 

A hemorrhage of the bowels hastened the dissolution 

toward which his system had been tending. Death, 
though long anticipated, came as it is wont to do, sud- 
denly at last. So peacefully did he He, in utter prostra- 
tion for twelve hours without moving a limb, conversing 
at intervals with his accustomed composure and affec- 
tion of the preciousness of the Savior and the general 
interests of religion, that no one present could realize 
that death was near. 

44 1 was with him," says his late pastor, u almost every 
day ; and can testify- that I never knew a more devoted 
and humble Christian ; that I never witnessed so bright 
an example of practical piety and of the sustaining 
influences of the Christian's faith as he exhibited. 

" The morning of his death, as I entered his room. 
Mrs. Pitts said to me, ' O, sir, you have come now indeed 
to the house of mourning.' 'iYo, my dear,' was his calm 
and cheerful reply ; 'not the house of mourning, but of 
rejoicing and triu?nph. I am ready to go. This is the 
day to which I have looked forward with such earnest 
longing and joyful anticipation. God will take care of 

* Rev. H. G. Blinn. 



- \mi 1:1. i-ii it, 

you, m\ dear, And do* come Lord Jesus, oom€ 
«jui<kl\ / m after he became unconscious. Bui 

toward evening he revived, and taking his w i f* * by th<' 
hand said. "I wish to have my death live after me; it 
will live after me f then gently fell asleep. 

tt Bui I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, 
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow Dot, 
even as others which have no hope. For if we believe 
that Jesus died and rose again, even bo them also which 
p in Jesus will God bring with him. 91 "Blessed are 
the dead who die in the Lord; yea, from henceforth:" 
blessed not in prospect only — being delivered from the 
flesh and sin to await in the unconscious grave their 
glorification at Christ's coming — but blessed consciously, 
superlatively : blessed with God's own Messing from 
HENCEFORTH — from the instant of death to the ages of 
eternal glory. Let us rejoice that the disciple whom 
Jesus loved now rests upon the bosom of his Lord. 

But who will arise to take his place \ Would that 
this humble endeavor to recall his image and his virtues, 
might stimulate others to follow his example of devotion 
to the cause of our blessed Lord. Who will take his 
place in visiting the flock of God ? The sick, the 
infirm, the aged, the poor, remember him with grateful 
love. Even- where in the chamber of sickness, in tin- 



44 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 

abode of poverty, I hear his name spoken with tears of 
aliection. Who among the surviving members of the 
Tabernacle Church, who among the tens of thousands 
that profess Christ in this city, are now gathering such 
blessings upon their heads ! Mines richer than those of 
the Pacific shores, wealth vaster than that of a city's 
commerce, honors brighter than the dignities of office 
and more enduring than any worldly fame, are open to 
those who in this ever driving city life will give of their 
time to personal effort for the salvation of souls, and will 
r/o about doing good. 

The young men of the Bible-class, which for twelve 
years he nourished, feel the loss of deacon Pitts more 
deeply than words can express. God grant that they 
may feel his influence too, and that their beloved and 
revered teacher, though dead, may yet speak to them ! 
They have expressed their estimate of his character and 
their sorrow for his loss in these appropriate words : 

" Resolved, That his labors of love, his complete con- 
secration to the service of our Lord and Master, his 
great success in his efforts to win souls to Christ, but 
more especially his work among the young men of this 
class, his self-sacrificing devotion to their best interests, 
his ever kind and paternal regard for their w r elfare, both 
temporal and spiritual, his direct instrumentality in lead- 



SAMl : I. PI i M 

big many of as into the fold of Christ, merit ouf never 
and grateful remembrance, and commend to u^ 
aa example eminently worthy of our imitation. 91 
If the Bentimentfl thus earnestly expressed shall here- 
•r tind utterance in the daily life; it' by personal 
.1. '\otion to the interests of 1 1 1 * * class, to tin 4 welfare of 
young men, to 1 1 1 * * prosperity of the church and tin* 
salvation of souls, the Pitts Bible-Class shall themselves 
carry out the spirit of their teacher, they will besl prove 
their appreciation of liis life and teachings, and their 
gratitude to (rod for the benefits they have received 
through his faithful servant. 

If there be any of the older members of that class 
yet living without Christ, to whom these words shall go, 
may the voice of him who so earnestly sought their 
salvation, thus coming from the very presence of the 
Savior, win such at last to yield to the Word and the 
Cross* 

When such a good man dies how blessed is the 
thought that he has not ceased to be ; that he is not 
even wholly severed from us ; that we shall soon be 
joined with him in the perfect service of the Lamb. 
How fast is the roll of the redeemed in heaven swelled 
by the translation of those who have here loved and 



46 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF SAMUEL PITTS. 

honored Christ. Already the number of these dear 
sainted ones whom we have known, more than half 
divides our hearts from this world to their blessed 
abode. Oh glorious company of the redeemed! Ye 
blessed forerunners to the heavenly state ! We too are 
of your family. Ye are not estranged from us by death. 
We will enter awhile into your labors, till the Master 
call us to your rest. Then gladly will we cry. Come 
Lord Jesus, come quickly. 



A PPEN I) I X. 



A.a :m illustration of the genial spirit of Mr. Pit 

>tion to the Tabernacle, his longing for the con- 
renion ot' souls and his delicate appreciation of his own 
relations to the pastor of the church, the reader is h< 
presented with a few extracts from a letter addressed by 
Mr. Pitts to the writer, when lie had under considera- 
tion the call of the Broadway Tabernacle Church. 

New-York, December 1844. 

Dear Brother — Permit me thus affectionatelv to 

j 

address you, though we have been privileged with but a 
few moments 1 personal acquaintance. Since the return 
of our delegation from your city, I have learned of the 
interview with yon and those with whom you counseL 
I am confident my brethren have not overdrawn the 
importance of our enterprise. I know of no field of 
ministerial labor more inviting, encouraging immediate 
efforts for the conversion of sinner-. There are already 



48 APPENDIX. 

some quite serious individuals, with one case of distress- 
ing conviction for sin. There appears an unusual readi- 
ness on the part of the impenitent to listen attentively 
to personal conversation on the subject of religion. Our 
dear church have never been more harmonious than at 
present, and greater unanimity in making the call for you 
to become our shepherd could not be possible ; not a 
negative vote appeared in the church, and but one in the 
congregation, and that by mistake. I consider it a 
Macedonian entreaty, as directly emanating from the 
Great Head of the Church as the one sent the apostle. 

Our church commenced with earnest prayer accompa- 
nied with a day of fasting, imploring Divine guidance 
in the selection of the right one to preside statedly over 
our interests. As an individual, my exercises and views 
have been peculiar when before the mercy-seat, beseech- 
ing our Savior to grant the favor our destitution de- 
mands. I have most devoutly and solemnly pledged 
myself before the Searcher of all hearts, to sustain you 
with more than ordinary devotedness to the interests of 
a pastor ; for any one in this position requires more sym- 
pathy and prayer than is often felt and offered for pas- 
tors of churches. Could I see you and unite in prayer 
with you over this subject, it would greatly relieve my 
burthened soul. 



Wl'KNDIX. 49 

Now, my dear brother, lei us continue our unceasing 
importunity with the Great Head of the Church, for the 

agency of the Holy Spirit to open clearly before your 
vision these perishing thousands, who, under God, may 
be by your instrumentality impressed with a Bense of 
their condition, while remaining eneqries to Christ ; and 
also led to the Lamb of (Jod, complying with the condi- 
tions of salvation ; — that hundreds, yea, even thousands, 
may refer to your fidelity as the means employed in 
their regeneration. Oh, that I could command langu. 
to express my feelings and views in relation to the call 
under your consideration ; but I find myself wholly incom- 
petent, trusting the result of our prayers and delibera- 
tions to His control, who will not fail to honor his great 
name, if we are pained and disheartened with a disap- 
pointment. My burthened spirit, my dear brother, sighs 
for a release from this mountain of anxiety under which 
I now labor. Will you not sympathise with your brother 
in his great weakness, and pray for his support under the 
weighty obligations he is now called to meet ? Oh, my 
brother, do come, for my deliverance not only, for I am 
but a feeble one ; and were it not that God often chooses 
tlie 1 weak and simple, in man's judgment, for the accom- 
plishment of his glorious purposes, I should shrink away 
and conceal myself in obscurity; which I often should 



50 APPENDIX. 

do if I consulted inclination, irrespective of my obliga- 
tions to a dying world. I have made myself thus 
prominent in this communication by the particular 
request of my brethren. 

My brother, if I am at all thought of in making up 
your final conclusion, I can safely assure you of my affec- 
tions, and engage with a most ready mind to stand by 
you, and sympathise with you in all the trials and conflicts 
you may be called to encounter. For it is a great work 
to which you are called — none other than a Nehemiah 
enterprise. Oh, my brother, may we not hope that the 
God of Israel will grant a Nehemiah's victory, over all 
the obstacles which may be delaying your decision. 
Yours in Christ, 

SAMUEL PITTS. 



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